1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for dispensing a dose of a medicant, and more particularly, a medicant dispensing device which is activated by the user upon inhalation of air from the interior of the housing of the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,456,644; 3,456,646; 3,565,070; 3,636,949; 3,732,864; 3,789,843; 3,814,297; 3,826,413 4,648,393; 4,664,107; and 4,648,393 all disclose a breath-activated inhalation device wherein a dose of a medicant is dispensed from an aerosol container to be mixed with air drawn into the housing of the inhalation device upon inhalation by a user. Each of these patents illustrate a device wherein the air drawn from the exterior of the housing upon inhalation by the user opens a valve and flows through an opening normally closed by the valve into the interior of the housing. Movement of the valve in turn causes movement of a linkage arrangement to permit the aerosol container to drop or be moved downwardly to open the aerosol valve of the container so that a measured dose of a medicant can be inhaled with the air entering the housing.
While the inhalation-actuated aerosol dispensing devices illustrate some of the concepts involved in the present invention, the toggle linkage arrangement used in the present invention for locking and unlocking the device, along with a nozzle movable relative to a stationary medicant container to accommodate the dispensing of the medicant from the container is different and ensures activation only upon inhalation by a user.